On March 18, 2026, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) announced “$5 million in grants to fund more than two dozen projects that will expand cooling infrastructure, reduce energy demand, and improve public health while strengthening climate resilience in the state’s most heat-vulnerable communities.”
The awards, issued through NJBPU’s Urban Heat Island (UHI) Mitigation Program, span 10 municipalities statewide — with major investments concentrated in Newark, Camden, and Trenton, and additional projects in Paterson, Atlantic City, Elizabeth, Roselle, Egg Harbor City, Lakewood Township, and Pennsauken Township. Projects include tree planting along major street corridors, conversion of public buildings into resilience hubs, shade structures, water features, community gardens, cooling corridors and pop-up oasis initiatives, all designed to lower surface temperatures and cooling costs on the hottest days of the year.
NJBPU describes the UHI Mitigation Program as advancing “Governor Mikie Sherrill’s agenda to pair aggressive climate action with investments that directly improve public health, affordability, and quality of life in overburdened communities.”
NJBPU describes the public health benefits to NJ residences under the UHI Mitigation Program:
“Higher temperatures accelerate ozone formation and intensify air pollution, aggravating asthma, COPD, and cardiovascular disease. Urban trees and greening initiatives help counter these impacts by filtering harmful particulates, lowering temperatures, and improving air quality. Research shows sustained greening efforts, such as tree-planting, can reduce asthma-related emergency room visits, lower medical costs, and decrease missed school days.”
NJBPU reports “Camden will receive a $1 million award to redevelop Farnham Park with shade structures, improved youth recreation spaces, and expanded green areas. Additional community-based funding will support the “Blooming Bus Stops” initiative, adding shade trees, seating, and amenities at up to 20 bus stops in North Camden.”
“Newark will receive a $500,000 award to redevelop Hennessey Street Park into a climate-resilient community space in the Ironbound neighborhood, adding cooling infrastructure, trees, and emergency cooling amenities. Additional community-based projects will install shade structures and hydration stations at community gardens and deliver tree planting in neighborhoods disproportionately affected by extreme heat.”
NJBPU announces the following Full List of Awardees and Projects:
Category 1 – Comprehensive UHI Interventions in Public Spaces (up to $1 million each)
- City of Trenton – Trenton North and West Wards Tree Arteries Project ($1,000,000)
- City of Camden – Farnham Park Redevelopment ($1,000,000)
Category 2 – Cooling the Built Environment / Resilience Hubs (up to $500,000 each)
- City of Trenton – Hermitage Library Resilience Hub ($500,000)
- Pennsauken Township – Elm Avenue Resilience Hub ($500,000)
- City of Newark – Firefighters Memorial Park Climate-Resilient Community Space ($500,000)
- Housing Authority of the City of Elizabeth – Bayway Community Center Cool Roof and Heat Resilience Project ($500,000)
Category 3 – Urban Micro-Climate Interventions (up to $50,000 each)
- New Jersey Conservation Foundation (Trenton) – Green Streets to Battle Monument Intermediate School ($50,000)
- Isles, Inc. (Trenton) – H2Grow – Bellevue ($50,000)
- Trenton Artworks, Inc. (Trenton) – Trenton Heat Resilience Garden ($50,000)
- Passage Theatre Company (Trenton) – Cool Theatre Passageways ($50,000)
- Center for Environmental Transformation (Camden) – East Camden Community Heat Preparedness ($50,000)
- Neighborhood Collaborative / Camden Urban Agriculture Collective (Camden) – Blooming Bus Stops ($50,000)
- Greater Newark Conservancy (Newark) – Water-Enhanced Newark Community Gardens and Green Spaces ($50,000)
- Newark Science and Sustainability, Inc. (Newark) – Newark SaS Shade Infrastructure Project ($50,000)
- Rabbit Hole Farm (Newark) – Newark Cooling Improvements ($50,000)
- Project for Empty Space (Newark) – Newark Grounds Art Canopies and NIGHT FEST Markets ($100,000)
- FARD United (Newark) – Urban Heat and Community Safety Initiative ($50,000)
- City Green (Paterson) – Tree Canopy Expansion in City Green Learning Garden ($50,000)
- One Ocean County, Inc. (Lakewood Township) – John Patrick Sports Complex Cooling Garden ($50,000)
- Ducktown Neighborhood CDC (Atlantic City) – Ducktown Cooling Corridor Pop-Up Oasis ($50,000)
- Key Recreation, Inc. (Egg Harbor City) – Buffalo Avenue Playground Urban Heat Relief Project ($50,000)
- Groundwork Elizabeth (Elizabeth and Roselle) – Urban Heat Mitigation Through Native Tree Canopy Expansion ($50,000)
Awardees will have two to three years to complete projects and must submit regular financial and performance reports to the NJBPU.
